Durban - If Durban was a monarchy and the king wanted to watch over his territory, no place would be better to do this from than the Sundeck on the 30th floor of the Holiday Inn on the Marine Parade.
Howard College lies on the inland side, with much of the harbour and bay to the south and Moses Mabhida Stadium to the north.
To the east is the vast Indian Ocean with a horizon so much further into the deep blue yonder than one sees from the beachfront below.
On the Sundeck, the King of Durbs could even have a swimming pool throne, with underwater windows through which to peep on the street below, nogal.
Across the Battery Beach car park, the pool at the Suncoast Towers, the patch of bush between the promenade and hotel offers added shelter to the hotel pool, behind a wall. Set in a garden of indigenous plants, the pool design matches that of the Art Deco hotel building that towers above.
Facilities have become super-disabled friendly with the introduction a month ago of a beach wheelchair on which one can go, not just on to the beach, but even into the surf.
Further north, at uMhlanga, the pool at the Oyster Box Hotel has in eyeshot the iconic lighthouse.
Home-made ice cream is a speciality and the pool is kept warm by surplus heat from the complex’s air-conditioning system.
Nearby, at the Beverly Hills the special offers are cleaning of sunglasses, the provision of sun cream along with ice lollies and fruit skewers.
Back in Durban, the pool at the Elangeni is a touch different to the others that permit only hotel guests to swim.
Non-guests who dine at the “island-style” Panorama restaurant and bar beside the pool qualify for being allowed to take a dip.
It’s part of a newly renovated section.
At the end of next month another pool at the other side of the hotel will open up. As a result, the sun will always shine on one or the other patches of sparkling water. - Independent on Saturday